Is Interior Design and 3D Printing a Match Made in Heaven
Is Interior Design and 3D Printing a Match Made in Heaven

Interior design is one of the most popular career options in 2019 - and it’s clear to see why.

There is simply a bigger need for professional interior designers in the architecture industry. Since tools to design things have become more readily available, anyone can get into this fantastic new career if they are good enough.

Like all forms of design, interior design does not only boil down to practice. While you need to practice, there is a special talent that is hidden in every interior designer.

This is why there are only a couple of notable interior designers in the sea of newcomers. Good interior designers are not only very sought after - they’re paid handsomely for their time.

We spend most of our time indoors these days, either at home, the workplace, or the restaurant we’re eating at. All of these places need to suit all of our needs to their maximum potential.

But, where does this fantastic new career option come in contact with 3D printing? Well, the answer might surprise you.

What is 3D printing?

3D printing is the thrilling new technology that is being implemented in all sorts of industries, and one such sector is the interior design industry.

It is a process of printing 3D models from plastic by a machine (the 3D printer itself) after it has been designed and exported into the printing process by the designer.

Now, designing is nothing new, but this is a new way we can cheaply and accurately create models of things we want to build in real life.

There are different applications of new 3D printing technology in all fields of design, and it has been created for the sole purpose of assisting designers in the realization of their projects.

While 3D printing technology is a relatively new technology, it has not reached its full potential yet - there is still quite a lot we can expect from it.

What is the relation between 3D Printing and Interior Design?

3D printing has already revolutionized the way that we view design. It has been an essential tool for designers ever since its inception and has allowed up-and-coming designers to present their plans in the shape and form of a 3D model.

While the early 3D printing technology has not been too efficient at creating real-life models of computer designs, after some manual reworking, the model becomes ready to present.

Now, 3D printing is a continually evolving technology, and it is only getting more and more accurate. The attention to detail that the 3D printer is capable of producing is only rising by the day, and the amount of manual reworking has dropped down significantly.

3D printing has also found its place in medicine, as there have been many different prosthetics made for animals through 3D printing technology.

Now, this fantastic and versatile technology has had its implementation in the interior design industry ever since its inception.

The purpose of creating small models of finished rooms not only allows interior designers to pretest their product in such a way that the average consumer can understand it while also allowing any physical editing in a matter of mere seconds.

While this might sound like a minor thing, in the interior design world, everything is about presentation. Interior design is the marriage of functionality and pleasing aesthetics, and presenting this through 3D printing can offer an abundance of different benefits.

Quick production

While 3D printing itself might not be the fastest technology and the quickest way to create models for your 3D interior scene, the speed in which these machines operate is increasing with time.

We can already see considerably faster machines compared to their predecessors, which allow us to create models quickly. This is immensely important, as editing any set or model adds additional reliability to our end product.

The speed at which the interior designer creates different sets and presentation is integral to the presentation itself, as it allows the designer to quickly modify anything that the client might want to be changed.

Presentation

Let’s face it. Not everyone is a professional that’s capable of understating complex designer terms and graphic designs.

Humans are highly visual creatures, and they can relate to products far better than computer pictures and models. 3D printing allows us to create a physical representation of the design in question - which in turn allows the interior designer to present their product to everyone.

Everyone understands physical shapes, and representing your product in such a way is an assurance of quality, merchandise, and understanding. If a consumer follows your presentation, he is far more likely to give more detailed feedback.

Additional Configuration

Now, the feedback which you receive through the representation of your model is integral to the design process. When you present your design through a complex computer image, or model, or papers on top of papers, your consumer might not fully understand what you’re trying to present.

When you have given your customer or potential client a model that they can touch, understand, and see for themselves, they’re more likely to critique the smaller details.

Every single augmentation is a proper augmentation, as it promises improvement from the starting point.

While this might sound a little bit frightening, it is far from it. Getting detailed feedback and critiques on your work allows you to modify your product to the smallest detail, and fit customer or employer requirements to the inch.

How Can 3D Printing be Implemented Within Interior Design?

So far, we’ve only discussed the importance of 3D printing in relation to interior design model creation and presentation - but what about creating actual products through this amazing technology?

That’s right! 3D printing technology can be implemented in the creation of actual products that are to be used in the interior design community.

Now, this does not mean you can design a sofa and print it out, but you can design parts for it and create them for a fraction of the price that it would cost to manufacture them manually.

3D printing is allowing interior designers to bring their products from their mind into real life, literally.

Either through creating prototypes or creating actual parts for different sets in an interior design exhibition, the implementation and importance of this technology within this particular career option are integral to the future of the business itself.

There are different exhibits in interior design sets that have already been implemented and created through 3D printing technology.

While it’s mainly creating parts for different things, exhibits such as lamp housings, chairs, desks, and numerous other furniture have been created solely through 3D printing technology.

3D printing allows the designer to create a design and print it in parts. It would take an enormous 3D printer to print a full-sized model, so this problem is solved by cutting things up into parts.

Later assembly of said parts is how we get some of the most exciting, modern, and aesthetically-pleasing products.

The Simplistic Approach

Minimalism is really in right now, and there is nothing better in bringing minimalist designs to life than 3D printing technology.

Yet another benefit of using 3D printing technology in interior design is the simplicity of the process itself. While creating an advanced layout for a table might take a professional artisan carpenter ages to complete, it will take a 3D printer only a fraction of the time.

Now, the problem with 3D printing technology is its limitation. It’s a relatively new technology, so technological limitations are prevalent in its implementation.

It can only work with a type of plastic and is not yet able to capture the smallest detail when printing anything. Every piece that is 3D printed requires some level of additional modification after it’s been created.

But, much like the interior design industry itself, 3D printing is quickly evolving into a tool that numerous industries can’t live without. The creation process has been simplified in due time, and the time it takes for a 3D printer to create a particular product has been cut from hours into mere minutes, for a smaller model.

It is only a matter of time before 3D printing technology becomes inseparable from the interior design industry, and design in general. It is best to learn about it in its infancy, as it will take the bulk of work out later when the technology is essential.

In short, if you’re an interior designer that is looking to get an edge among the very competitive industry, 3D printing is definitely one of the better ways to go.